tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16525352352963533152024-03-12T21:08:21.681-07:00Life with Baby ATiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-768584143038691712012-07-19T14:07:00.000-07:002012-07-19T14:07:41.818-07:00Busy BusyI've neglected this blog for a long time. When I have the time to blog, I spend it going through other people's blogs. Man, there is just too much good stuff out there. I'm currently in the process of finalizing Ainsley's Woodland animal meets Shabby Chic Birthday Party.<br />
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(Don't you love my blacking out ability!)<br />
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We are going all out on this one people! I'll post some of the things I've been working on for this party, like the tee pee the kids get to paint... until then, here is my sweetcheeks, growing up!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X37_DHxyycw/UAh2GFuBwcI/AAAAAAAAAJA/v4cldDVtD74/s1600/ry=400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X37_DHxyycw/UAh2GFuBwcI/AAAAAAAAAJA/v4cldDVtD74/s320/ry=400.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-11558264984980628412012-03-01T21:10:00.000-08:002012-03-01T21:10:35.219-08:00I'm BaaaackUgh... what a roller coaster I've been on. Training for a new job, trying to figure out a schedule for Ainsley and I, and maybe doing something occasionally to keep my sanity equals no internet time. Which actually helps my sanity. But anywho...<br />
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I interviewed for another job that pays 10K a year than my current one. This may should ridiculous, but I think making more would make it a little easier to leave Ainsley every day. At least I would feel it's more justified. And if I don't get this position, I'm hoping to change my current job hours from 8 to 5 to 7 to 4. It would give me some time to play with Ainsley and maybe make a decent dinner more often than I am now. I'm typically a winter kinda gal... I like dark dreary days. Makes me want to snuggle up and read a book. However, I'm really looking forward to summer this year. More daylight so I can take Miss A to the park and we can work in the yard a little bit. I have a long list of projects I need to do with her too. Thank you pinterest....<br />
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This evening I did get a chance to cook a little. I won't tell you about the chicken. It's not even worth typing about. The mashed potatoes I tried were awesome though. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures. I do have some of Miss Ainsley though!<br />
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Garlic Mashed Potatoes<br />
1/2 cup heavy cream<br />
4 oz crumbled feta cheese<br />
5-6 medium Idaho potatoes<br />
5 cloves of garlic, peeled ( I always use WAY more garlic than any recipe calls for)<br />
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Peel and cube potatoes. Put in saucepan with garlic. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes. Drain, put in large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mash.Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-78416404486955796932012-01-30T20:53:00.000-08:002012-01-30T20:53:10.067-08:00another day in the backseatThat's right... I spent my lunch napping in the backseat of my car again. I was up til 1:30 finishing up cleaning the house. We went out friday, on a date night. It was only the second one since Ainsley has been born. We may have done it up too much. We were both really out of it on Saturday, so cleaning was put off until sunday. I seriously cleaned for 14 hours. This place was a disaster. It was mainly from the dogs. Dog hair EVERYWHERE!!!!!! ugh. Anyways, I'm tired. Goodnight from a super tired workin mama....Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-14796004163948561242012-01-24T21:03:00.000-08:002012-01-24T21:03:35.929-08:00Oh.... look at me.Yup, two post in a row.<br />
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I'm starting to get my days a little more sorted out.... I think. I went and got my hair cut this evening and had a couple of inches taken off, so it should me quicker for me to dry in the mornings. This was the first day in the last several that I didn't have to go out to my car at lunch and take a nap. I'll count that as a win. I'm posting on here tonight, and I managed to take a pic of my pumpkin when I got home.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It makes me sad that this is what I miss all day. But she is a cutie...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The doctor said she should start recognizing her name. That might be true if we called her her name on a regular basis. I call her Sweet Cheeks, pumpkin, sweetheart, roo... The spousal unit calls her killer. Yeah, I don't know either. Anyone got any other good pet names? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm still needing to fit in running and cleaning. I also need to reevaluate my diet. I cut out pops and juice. I only drink coffee, water, tea and milk. And I still haven't lost any more weight. I have AT LEAST 10 lbs to loose. I hate actually "dieting". I try just to eat better. Maybe I'll concentrate on not so many carbs, and more lean protein.<em> *ugh*</em></div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-29792298045201321722012-01-23T19:29:00.000-08:002012-01-23T19:29:47.686-08:00Working sucks!I've neglected this blog. The little time I do have now a days, I enjoy reading other people's blogs versus writing on my own.<br />
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Working and having enough energy to play with my daughter for the two short hours I get to see her awake every day is tough. I honestly don't know if I can keep it up. Here is what my days have been like the last week...<br />
(she usually feeds around 3-4)<br />
5am-wake up<br />
between 5 am and 7:15<br />
Nurse her one more time<br />
pump<br />
get her bottles ready<br />
pack bag with cloth diapers and wet bag<br />
pull her food out of the freezer<br />
shower, blow dry my hair, make-up (these seem like give me's, but when you stay home, you don't do these things on a regular basis)<br />
Spousal unit takes Miss A to daycare<br />
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Work by 8 am<br />
pump ~10 am<br />
noon- quick bite at my desk, pump, and then short nap in my car<br />
pump ~2 pm<br />
Leave work at 5pm<br />
Get to daycare north of town around 5:45 pm<br />
Get home around 6:30 pm <br />
She gets fed at 7 pm<br />
Bath at 8 pm<br />
Down for the night at 8:30<br />
at night, pull dirty diapers, clothes and bottles out of her bag<br />
do some laundry, make some dinner, repack her bag, try to pump one more time<br />
In bed by 11-12 pm<br />
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I'm dying doing this routine. And the money I'm making seems really hard to justify it. I suppose there is nothing I can do about it right now, so I have to just go with it. I'm also trying to fit some time in for my blogging every night, training for a 5k, and maybe even some occasional housework that needs to be done. I have 100 lbs of dog in this house. Not cleaning like I use to, there is dog hair EVERYWHERE!! I don't get to spend much time with Ainsley. I use to take at least one picture of her every day. I haven't taken one since friday night. I'm just missing so much. It really makes me sad. I think I'm going to give up on cooking and trying new recipes. Tonight for dinner was a bowl of cereal after a lunch of frozen bean burrito... *sigh*Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-70304016793605612542012-01-12T22:17:00.000-08:002012-01-12T22:17:05.981-08:00The ticking clockUgh.... four more days til I have to go back to work. Every moment of my life seems fleeting and rushed right now. I have so much stuff to do around the house, while trying to spend every precious moment playing with and enjoying my baby girl. Today was a long day. Had the foundation guy out, tried to get Miss A down for a nap that she wanted no part of, took a shower (which is a feat of itself), went to the grocery store, made the spousal unit cupcakes for his birthday, cooked dinner, made Ainsley baby food (sweet potatoes), bathed her, and got her to sleep. Now I'm sitting here watching the daily show, drinking wine, reading blogs, and going and watching my baby sleep occasionally. I'm not ready to leave her. I should feel fortunate. I was able to spend 6 months with her, which is more than most people get to spend. But I want to be with her all the time. <br />
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Tick tock tick tockTiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-64945637370222896022012-01-03T21:42:00.000-08:002012-01-03T21:42:31.613-08:00Bitter SweetSo I haven't had much sleep lately, and getting ready to go back to work... I'm just generally exhausted.<br />
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I didn't get a chance to go through a bunch more diaper bags last night. Maybe I'll stroll through a couple more pages tonight.<br />
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So yes, I have another job. It's really bitter sweet however. It's making less than I was at my last job. 16K in fact, which is quite painful. It's actually making less than what I STARTED my last job at 5 years ago. The more I sit here and think about it, the more frustrated I get. I can't believe I'm leaving my baby for that kind of money. But I feel like I didn't have much of a choice. I told my spousal unit about the opportunity, and he's pretty hell bent on me working. I do need health insurance, which is a nice perk of having a job. Apparently gay couples can get insured, but couples living together and having a child together, but not legally bound in a marriage can't get eachother insurance. Honestly, it's bullshit! So yes, I'm starting mid month. I think I'm just going to sit here this evening and be depressed about the fact the babysitter will have ~8 hours with my baby, and I'll only have 4 hours a day to bond with her. <br />
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Again.... I can't believe I'm leaving her for that kind of money....Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-47600041891605215902012-01-02T23:51:00.000-08:002012-01-02T23:51:57.068-08:00blogs and so much moreI've been meaning to write for a couple of days now. I have a lot on my mind and a lot of things I need to do and figure out. Unfortunately, every time I log on to write, there are new blogs up that I follow that I have to read. Then it turns into a rabbit hole, and I read all night instead of write. Which is probably better for everyone involved...<br />
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Starting with today, and working backwards, we took down all the Christmas decorations. It's kind of depressing. I left the lights on the tree on all the time, so when I would get up to nurse Ainsley, we did it by the glow of the Christmas tree. It was really nice. We left them up as long as we did because we had a New Year's Eve party. It wasn't anything too exciting. It's honestly, really the first party I've ever thrown, so I learned a lot. I made WAY too much food, bought too much alcohol, but didn't have any decorations or activities planned. I guess now that we are true adults with jobs, the appeal of getting shit canned isn't really there anymore. I didn't take any pictures of the festivities either, which is kinda sad.<br />
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Now to my issues.... <br />
1.) I, not knowing, thought it would be nice to have the date and time on pictures, so we would know in the future when exactly it was taken. Well, some of the pics we took over the holiday I'd really like to frame. Well guess what... You can't remove the time stamp from the damn pictures. So this is what we have...<br />
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and this...</div>
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Stupid date stamp. I asked a friend who's good at photoshop to fix them for me. She said "no problem". Yeah, never heard anything about the pics once I sent them to her. I might have to break down and buy my own copy of photoshop and try to do it myself.</div>
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2.) Recently, I've noticed Miss A's diapers seem to have a strong odor of ammonia when I'm getting ready to wash them. I just contributed it to her getting older and urinating more and maybe the chemistry of her pee changing (hell, I don't know. I've never done this before...) So, I was doing a second rinse cycle the other day of my cloth diapers, and when I opened the lid, this is what I saw.</div>
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I'm pretty sure a second rinse isn't suppose to by that sudsy. So I ended up doing 4 additional rinses. I guess I had some build up issues. I hope doing a bunch of rinses will help.<br />
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3.) I've decided I loath my diaper bag and need a new one. I'll be going through etsy this evening looking for the perfect one. Hopefully I'll have it narrowed down and pics up here by tomorrow. So far we have<br />
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<img alt="Ultimate Diaper Bag - XL convertible Paris red/orange/blue" src="http://img2.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.282728162.jpg" width="570" /><br />
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<img alt="MADE TO ORDER oversized diaper bag with beautiful floral print and sash woven through grommets" src="http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.272590957.jpg" width="570" /><br />
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<img alt="Extra Large Diaper Bag- Baby diaper bag- -Travel bag- - Luggage- - Design Your Own" src="http://img3.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.139544539.jpg" width="570" /><br />
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The key here is size. It needs to be big. I cloth diaper, so those take up more room than disposable. We seem to travel a lot too, so it needs to hold things to last at least an entire day. <br />
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4.) New Year's resolutions. We are still ironing out the details on this one. I want them to be meaningful and obtainable for once. We will see.<br />
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I'll end on this. We started Ainsley on solids. I really wanted to wait until she was 6 months old, but she has really been interested in my food lately, and I'd like to start her on this before I go back to work (more on this later). So, I made her some oatmeal cereal that she HATED. I'm not going to make her eat anything she doesn't like. So I made her some carrots tonight, and she loved them!!<br />
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<br /></div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-22025538470647291912011-12-23T21:41:00.000-08:002011-12-23T21:41:00.532-08:00Christmas TimeWe are celebrated Christmas tonight as a family for the first time. We are loading up Miss A and going to the spousal unit's parents for the holidays. My parents decided they didn't want us up there for Christmas (not in so many words, but I got the point), so we are doing all of the holiday at one grandparents house. So far I got a baby food making machine, Julia Child's complete set of cookbooks, a necklace with Ainsley's name and birth stone, and a Kitchen Aid mixer. I definitely call it a win.<br />
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We have been traveling so much that I didn't get a chance to send out Christmas cards this year. Hell, I didn't even get Santa pics done until yesterday. But they turned out great. Wish I had done it a little earlier so they could have gone on a card. oh well. Here they are...<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">Merry Christmas</span></strong></div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-65877583158914756702011-12-21T22:34:00.000-08:002011-12-21T22:34:45.769-08:00A letter in the makingI feel horrible.... I haven't been doing anything special for Ainsley's big hallmarks... her monthly birthdays, her first giggle, the first time she rolled over. I really need to be a better mother and keep track of these things more. So after writing this short post, I'm going to write my LO a letter for her 5 month birthday (which I missed by a day, btw), seal it, and put it in her keepsake box that she can open and read when she's older. I'm going to attempt to do this every month from now on until her first birthday, then every year after that. <br />
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This is the only picture I snaped of her turning 5 months. I'm a horrible mom.....<br />
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There are so many things I still need to do before Christmas. We are making handprint ornaments tomorrow. I'm going to make them in dough and plaster. I'm afraid the dough ones won't last that long, and I was going to keep her little hand print forever. We need to go find daddy a small gift from Ainsley. I was hoping to order this...<br />
<img alt="personalized dad shirt-funny, hip and oh so trendy new father/new daddy gift ADORABLE BABIES ringer t shirt" src="http://img0.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.196062324.jpg" width="570" /><br />
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But I waited too long, and now I need to find something else. Maybe I love daddy picture frame for his office. Argh... I don't know.<br />
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Tomorrow we also need to get Baby A's Santa pictures done. Yes... I am that far behind. It's going to be a long next couple of days.<br />
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Oh, and update on the Cinnamon ornaments... I made them a little thin, but I went ahead and hung them on the tree. It's makes the tree smell pretty yummy when you're near it.<br />
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Taken with my phone. It's much prettier in person!</div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-70713106043550233302011-12-19T22:57:00.000-08:002011-12-19T22:57:51.864-08:00Gloomy, shitty dayWe got the most rain in Austin today that we've gotten... maybe for a year or two. I mean... there were a few minutes there that it really poured. Everyone else in the US might laugh at that, but it was really something for anyone living here. We have been in an awful drought for a while now. But even the downpour didn't stop me from checking my mailbox for fluff I had ordered. And sure enough... it was there. I bought a fitted diaper to try under the wool longies I'm in love with, and some diaper solution cubes.<br />
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I absolutely love their All in One diaper, so I decided to give tot bots fitted a try. I'm a little worried they'll stay really wet all night long though, so I might have to add a fleece liner to them, but we will see. The diaper solution I ordered was in Monkey farts scent (I kid you not). I'm not really sure what I expected. The name enticed me though, so I had to buy some. And yeah... it kinda smells like a floral fart. I'll still use it, but probably won't buy it again.<br />
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So during my morning coffee, I got a call about a job interview I went on a few weeks ago. I got the job. It's kind of a double edged sword. I'm not one to put all my eggs in one basket, so it's kind of important to me to have a job and be able to support myself. But having to leave Ainsley with a sitter makes me a little sick inside. And it hurts a little that it's 15k less than I was making at my last job, and I have to pay for my insurance now, and I get a week less in paid time off... but it's a job, right? *sigh*<br />
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On a lighter note, I made fragrant Christmas ornaments today from an old newspaper article my mom had.<br />
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It was super easy.<br />
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It's just...<br />
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1 cup of Cinnamon<br />
3/4 cup apple sauce. <br />
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Make into dough, roll out about 1/4 inch thickness, use cookie cutters, and cut out shapes. Don't forget to make a hole to hang them. Let them dry on a cooling rack for several days, turning occasionally. And BAM! You have ornaments.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OrEvvJ2cMPk/TvAxN9lupkI/AAAAAAAAAG4/XA4MlL1NI4Y/s1600/ornaments.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OrEvvJ2cMPk/TvAxN9lupkI/AAAAAAAAAG4/XA4MlL1NI4Y/s320/ornaments.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
I think I may have rolled the dough a little too thin, but we will see.Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-54807823050598209892011-12-16T22:28:00.000-08:002011-12-16T22:28:47.283-08:00Maybe 1 of 2<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
We got back home today. I think Ainsley was the happiest of all of us about this. This is the first night in a week that she's slept for a stretch longer than 3 hours. She's back in her bouncy chair, and extremely content.</div>
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This week had demonstrated to me how absolutely difficult it will be to move her out of her bouncy chair and into the crib. We were gone a week, and every night only got minutely better. It's going to be a long journey. If you notice, we have moved to one arm out of her swaddle. Baby steps....</div>
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I'm really hoping to get a lot of stuff done this weekend, but I don't think that's going to happen. I need to get all my pictures transferred off my phone and onto my computer, upload pics to facebook, read the directions to my camera, apply for some jobs, and I'm hoping to write a little about cloth diapers. We just got back today from Denver and will out and about again tomorrow for a Christmas party. I'm petered out man. I'm not really looking forward to it at this point.</div>
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I will write one little thing about cloth diapering... I love getting fluff in the mail. I order all my stuff offline. I have found recently, that etsy is a REALLY good source. I came home to find some wool longies in my mailbox from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/GratefulBuns?ref=seller_info" target="_blank">Grateful Buns</a>. They come lanolized smelling like lavender. My whole mailbox smelled like lavender. I'm sure my postman appreciated it. Wool covers are the only thing I will use over fitteds. I mainly use pockets, but for overnight, wool has become my go to. Ainsley is wearing her new PJ pants tonight...</div>
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I love the buttons. It makes me want to buy some more fitted diapers so she can wear these longies during the day as an outfit. I know at night, she is at least warm wearing these pants.</div>
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Another thing I can home to was a follow up call on a job. I'm excited and reluctant at the same time. I'm ready to start getting a paycheck again =), but I'm not ready to leave Miss A with a sitter. The best care she can receive is being at home with me. And I'm afraid that this position won't pay all that well, but the spousal unit is going to push me to take it. I kinda want to at least stay home with her until my unemployment runs out in April, but I guess we can't always get what we want.</div>
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Oh, and I also weighed myself as soon as I got home. I gained 5 lbs. Just fucking great....</div>
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</div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-61649229480942172062011-12-14T22:11:00.000-08:002011-12-14T22:11:01.135-08:00Pictures are pretty revealing... in not a pretty wayWe spent most our day today taking family pictures all over the mountain. I've sat here all night critiquing them. Well, this was after going out to dinner and eating too much... of course. There are three things I've determined. <br />
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1. My teeth are really yellow. What can I say.... I love coffee! I was going to get them whitened. I bought a groupon for it, but couldn't use it because you apparently can't get it professionally done while your pregnant or nursing. So, after July, I can hopefully get this taken care of...<br />
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See... my teeth look yellow</div>
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2. I need to loose weight. Baby weight.... from when I was a baby. Now... this picture isn't completely fair, because the t-shirt I had on was bunched up around my waist from carrying Ainsley, but I still freakin hate it.</div>
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I'm not digging the chunky thighs either... but I'm not sure there is a lot I can do about that..</div>
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3. I don't particularly like my haircut. She made my bangs too heavy, and they are too short on one side of my part. I have to part my hair really deep on one side the get all my bangs in. It's kinda stupid.</div>
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I suppose it is what it is. It's going to be interesting to step on the scale when I get back home. I had a goal of losing 6 more pounds before Christmas. I hope that figure doesn't go up at all. I hate baby weight....</div>
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I am very fortunate to have a beautiful baby to show for it though. For that, I am blessed.</div>
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Did you know that one of the Victoria's Secret Angels delivered a baby 6 weeks before doing one of their shows????? Bitch....</div>
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<br /></div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-86910717061199167112011-12-12T21:36:00.000-08:002011-12-12T21:36:59.593-08:00I'm baaaack...Things have been the utmost hectic the last month. It seems the holidays have put everything into overdrive. We put up our Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving (which is typically a big no no in our house) because we realized that was going to be the only opportunity we had until January. <br />
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A short run down of the craziness... I took Ainsley to Oklahoma for a week while the spousal unit went hunting. I was hoping for some relief from my mom in taking care of Baby A, but she was sick and unable to even hold her. We went to Kansas for a day, went back to OKC, then back to Austin, to turn around and go to outside of Houston the following weekend. This week, we are in Steamboat on vacation. It was Baby A's first time on a plane. Quite honestly, I was super nervous. She did awesome though. We even woke her up at 5:45 am to leave to the airport. I know I would be pissed off if someone woke me up that early...<br />
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She fell asleep once we boarded and didn't wake up until about an hour into the flight. Once she did, she was super enthralled with the peanuts. That provided entertainment for a while.<br />
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But once we got here... it's been a totally different story. I really hope it's not the altitude. I've been trying to nurse her as much as possible to make sure she's not getting dehydrated. But she's kinda fussy all day and is up once an hour ALL NIGHT LONG. I finally got her to sleep for a couple of hours today in the swing that we rented and had delivered to our condo. I must say... that is a must have for all parents traveling with infants. We had a bouncy chair, swing, and bath tub here when we showed up. It was awesome.<br />
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Hopefully, she will be in a better mood and we can go visit daddy on the slopes tomorrow and take some good pictures on the mountain.<br />
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Her being cranky and us hanging out at the house did allow for us to enter a bunch of online contest today. I don't think I've blogged about this before... but I'm really into cloth diapering. It's actually become an obsession of mine. I love it. I'm mainly into pockets, but I do have a couple of fitteds with wool covers. Anyways... I'll blog all about this later. But the give aways that <a href="http://allaboutclothdiapers.com/" target="_blank">Autumn</a> is doing is awesome. I absolutely love her blog. Beginning cloth diapering can be overwhelming. People don't realize how complicated it can be with all the different choices you have and all the different washing routines there are. Her blog really helped me begin to figure out what was right for me.<br />
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Anyways... hopefully things will be better tonight here in the mountains. Greetings from Steamboat!<br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-6604232938310720682011-11-11T22:36:00.000-08:002011-11-11T22:36:52.712-08:00So.... Tired....Ainsley slept really well at the beginning of the week... which is when I should have written, but by the end of the week... she's been up every 2-3 hours. She didn't completely go down til about 11 pm tonight. Her usual bedtime is 8:30. So this might be a little brief tonight.<br />
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I've spent the last two nights up late looking through etsy for a hat for Ainsley. We are going snowboarding (well, only Chad actually. Me have no insurance =( ......) and she needs a suitable hat, since we live in Texas and have had no need for one yet. So I've narrowed it down. There are seriously thousands to choose from on etsy...<br />
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1. Cute... and very functional too. Looks super warm<br />
<img _yuid="yui_3_1_1_2_132107914540465" alt="Girls PRINCESS BUNNY Hat 3-6 Months" height="717" src="http://img3.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.278412551.jpg" style="height: 379px; width: 298px;" width="570" /> <img _yuid="yui_3_1_1_2_132107914540469" height="358" src="http://img0.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.278492212.jpg" style="height: 318px; width: 271px;" width="305" /><br />
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2. Kinda same thing... just much brighter.<br />
<img _yuid="yui_3_1_1_2_132107914540471" height="358" src="http://img2.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.278606214.jpg" width="445" /><br />
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3. I honestly question how warm this might be, but it is cute<br />
<img _yuid="yui_3_1_1_2_132107914540473" height="407" src="http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.279269601.jpg" width="570" /><br />
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4. This is cute in the picture, but I'm a little worried it might be a little too pointy in real life<br />
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<img _yuid="yui_3_1_1_2_132107914540475" height="358" src="http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.186365877.jpg" width="434" /><br />
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5. And finally...<br />
<img _yuid="yui_3_1_1_2_132107914540479" height="358" src="http://img3.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.271312151.jpg" width="537" /><br />
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The spousal unit votes for 3 and 5. I'm kinda leaning towards 1 or 2. Either way, we need to get her head measured and sent in to one of the makers ASAP, because our trip is going to be here before you know it.<br />
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We are having the usual suspects over for football watching tomorrow. Thinking about making <a href="http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2011/03/22/oreo-cheesecake-cookies/">Oreo cheesecake cookies</a> while they are here, so I don't make them and eat them all.Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-35456513115178316312011-11-06T21:30:00.000-08:002011-11-06T21:30:58.756-08:00Quiet weekendSo my spousal unit went out "hunting" this weekend, so Ainsley and I were left to our own vices. I say "hunting", because I've never seen him bring anything home, and he goes "hunting" several times a year. I get pictures of deer.... I think it's just an excuse to get out of town and drink. Whateva.... I like the house to myself occasionally, honestly.<br />
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His family does a big dinner while they are out hunting. So, because I wasn't going, I decided to send along muffins instead. I figured they could eat them for breakfast or a snack... or when they're drunk. ha ha. So I made Nutella cheesecake pumpkin muffins. He did come back with a couple, which I'm secretly happy about, so I can eat them. The were pretty damn delicious...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PNOJCZDdLj0/Trdo9FzmWGI/AAAAAAAAAE8/7puyOFSrEAM/s1600/muffin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PNOJCZDdLj0/Trdo9FzmWGI/AAAAAAAAAE8/7puyOFSrEAM/s320/muffin.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #a64d79;">Nutella Cheesecake Pumpkin Muffins via </span><a href="http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2011/11/nutella-cheesecake-pumpkin-muffins/"><span style="background-color: white; color: #a64d79;">Tasty Kitchen</span></a><br />
<h2 class="sprite icon-ingredients line-behind"><span style="background-color: white; color: #a64d79;">Ingredients</span></h2><ul class="ingredients" id="ingredients-161623"><li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name"><span style="background-color: white; color: #a64d79;">FOR THE PUMPKIN MUFFINS:</span></span></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span itemprop="amount">4 whole</span> <span itemprop="name">Large Eggs</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span itemprop="amount">1-½ cup</span> <span itemprop="name">Sugar</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span itemprop="amount">1 can</span> <span itemprop="name">(15 Oz. Size) Pumpkin Puree</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span itemprop="amount">1-½ cup</span> <span itemprop="name">Vegetable Oil</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span itemprop="amount">3 cups</span> <span itemprop="name">All-purpose Flour</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span itemprop="amount">2 teaspoons</span> <span itemprop="name">Cinnamon</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span itemprop="amount">1 teaspoon</span> <span itemprop="name">Nutmeg</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span itemprop="amount">2 teaspoons</span> <span itemprop="name">Baking Soda</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span itemprop="amount">1 teaspoon</span> <span itemprop="name">Salt</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name"><span style="background-color: white; color: #a64d79;">FOR THE NUTELLA CHEECAKE FILLING:</span></span></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span itemprop="amount">8 ounces, weight</span> <span itemprop="name">Cream Cheese, softened</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span itemprop="amount">½ cups</span> <span itemprop="name">Nutella</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span itemprop="amount">1 whole</span> <span itemprop="name">Large Egg</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul><div class="clr"><span style="background-color: white; color: #a64d79;"></span></div><h2 class="sprite icon-instructions line-behind"><span style="background-color: white; color: #a64d79;">Preparation Instructions</span></h2><span itemprop="instructions"><span style="background-color: white; color: #a64d79;">Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, beat eggs slightly. Add in sugar, pumpkin and oil and beat thoroughly. Add in remaining dry ingredients and mix until smooth.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #a64d79;">In a small bowl, beat together cream cheese, Nutella and egg until smooth.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #a64d79;">Place paper liners in a muffin tin. Place about 2 tablespoons of pumpkin batter into each liner, then 1 tablespoon of Nutella batter, then top with 2 more tablespoons of pumpkin batter. Bake for 18-22 minutes. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #a64d79;">These are best served completely cooled. Makes 20 muffins. </span></span><br />
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So yeah... we basically stayed in our pj's all weekend. I did clean and watch football. On Thursday, we bought Ainsley an exersaucer off of craigslist. So while she napped Saturday morning, I got it all disinfected and cleaned up. She's still a little too young for it yet. She'll sit in it a couple of minutes before getting overwhelmed, but while she's enjoying it... it's so cute.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xUoGvLn40WM/Trdm3E_C5HI/AAAAAAAAAE0/kqcxozlh0h0/s1600/ainsley12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xUoGvLn40WM/Trdm3E_C5HI/AAAAAAAAAE0/kqcxozlh0h0/s320/ainsley12.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We were so lazy that we didn't even go out for dogfood on Friday like we were suppose to. So the dogs had a terrific weekend. They got green beans, bread, and cream of chicken soup. Sounds like a pretty balanced meal to me... They have a super hard life, as you can see.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z3jiaJ98pYE/Trdq09W5I-I/AAAAAAAAAFE/tMDaM_jjPa0/s1600/schone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z3jiaJ98pYE/Trdq09W5I-I/AAAAAAAAAFE/tMDaM_jjPa0/s320/schone.JPG" width="238" /></a></div>So, that pretty much sums up how busy we were. I have symphony rehearsal tomorrow night, so I'll be busy pretty much all day. Just going to throw some stuff in the crockpot and call it good. I do love this time of year. It's starting to cool off enough in Texas to actually be able to cook on a regular basis. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-32277447245790625742011-11-02T22:11:00.000-07:002011-11-02T22:11:05.260-07:00ok, not so awesomeI wrote last night's post half asleep. I forgot to put the oven temp at 250 and letting the seeds roast for at least an hour, stirring occasionally. A mistake I made was also putting the seeds in a ziploc bag last night. I tried some this morning and they were incredibly chewy... not even edible. So I threw them into the oven again tonight, and they are much better. I'm hoping that leaving them out will keep them non-chewy.<br />
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Ainsley is incredibly out tonight. She was up kinda early for her... 8:30 am, and only took a two short naps (30-45 minute) today. I'm convinced I'm never going to get sleep ever again. I'm either up with her, or freaked that she's sleeping so soundly. I stop and stare at her to make sure her chest is moving. It's really hard to tell sometimes! I don't want to wish her infancy away, but I'm kinda anxious about her turning 4 months. 90 % of SIDS occurs during 2-4 months. I can't wait to get out of this timeframe. And we haven't gotten her to sleep on her back yet. It's totally my fault. She's sleeping so well right now, I just want to enjoy it for a little while before the next battle. She's still in the room with me. Here she is tonight...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q0DNAaZzjRM/TrIhE7gmp6I/AAAAAAAAAEI/IKhDCYSsfAo/s1600/ainsley10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q0DNAaZzjRM/TrIhE7gmp6I/AAAAAAAAAEI/IKhDCYSsfAo/s320/ainsley10.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Yup, that's a bouncy chair in a pack n play.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm not overly excited about moving her to her crib either, but we agreed we'd start trying to get her to sleep there at 4 months. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">She's been such a good baby lately. Maybe the transition to her crib won't be that difficult. Her she is while I was putting on make-up today.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8hmYJMzIHJk/TrIhIbHT_VI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/9SYrsJPqXfs/s1600/ainsley11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8hmYJMzIHJk/TrIhIbHT_VI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/9SYrsJPqXfs/s320/ainsley11.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><div align="center"></div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-23361089517293793552011-11-01T21:07:00.000-07:002011-11-01T21:07:34.341-07:00Damn I'm good...This morning started off pretty shitty. The only job I have interviewed for so far got re posted with a temp agency last night for $22,000 less than I was making at my old job, and I wasn't making THAT much at my last job... So I was bummed. As soon as I opened my mouth to complain about it to the spousal unit, I got an email wanting me to call about another job I REALLY wanted. I had put my salary requirements in the range of my last job, up to a little more. I was ecstatic. So I called while the baby was asleep. As soon as she asked what my PCR experience was, I knew it was game over. When I said I didn't have much, she got off the phone fairly quickly. My last job did me a great disservice by not providing any professional growth. As soon as we got lab work and PCR work in, they didn't train their existing staff. We got laid off and they hired new. Thanks Signature Science! I'm afraid this is a sign of things to come.<br />
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So on to better news... I finally gutted my pumpkin and roasted pumpkin seeds. I may be a day late and dollar short, but I got it done. They were awesome. Here's how I do it....<br />
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<u><strong><span style="color: purple;">Roasted pumpkin seeds</span></strong></u><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Seeds from 1 pumpkin</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">olive oil</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Whatever season you'd like</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Clean your seeds really well. I got all the fibers off the seeds, then rinsed them in a colander. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add seeds. Slow boil for 10 minutes. Strain seeds and pat dry on paper towels. Place in bowl with approximately 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Mix to cover seeds. Spread on baking sheet and season. I used Chris' steak seasoning on one half and 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, garlic salt, and coriander on the other half.</span> <br />
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I ate some of them right out of the oven. And I thought to myself.... that is some damn good stuff!Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-47945924494312840242011-10-31T23:17:00.000-07:002011-10-31T23:17:20.973-07:00I love my camera!It's a Canon Powershot S95. Here is our weekend in pictures.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RyKGVoW7-iI/Tq-GnI9CLII/AAAAAAAAADI/cd04YRWCBXs/s1600/IMG_0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RyKGVoW7-iI/Tq-GnI9CLII/AAAAAAAAADI/cd04YRWCBXs/s320/IMG_0020.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RBMezXLixJQ/Tq-Ncsh4tmI/AAAAAAAAADo/mVy0ebdLsA0/s1600/IMG_0089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RBMezXLixJQ/Tq-Ncsh4tmI/AAAAAAAAADo/mVy0ebdLsA0/s320/IMG_0089.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Anyone have any idea who she is?????</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dn7pRX-m99s/Tq-NgvxcuOI/AAAAAAAAADw/pxsjRaXXNKM/s1600/IMG_0091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dn7pRX-m99s/Tq-NgvxcuOI/AAAAAAAAADw/pxsjRaXXNKM/s320/IMG_0091.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kHvMD0NJhgQ/Tq-NmPs-scI/AAAAAAAAAD4/tUE1jJqAqRU/s1600/IMG_0097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kHvMD0NJhgQ/Tq-NmPs-scI/AAAAAAAAAD4/tUE1jJqAqRU/s320/IMG_0097.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-9668628654454937842011-10-29T00:41:00.000-07:002011-10-29T00:41:55.968-07:00New cameraWe've had such a busy week. We did so much stuff, that the days have been full and long. I had a job interview on Tuesday, so Miss A had her first official babysitting experience. I handled it just fine, thank you very much. I don't think I could have done it several weeks ago, but this mom is ready to get back to work. And it's really helpful that we have the BEST babysitter lined up. She is a stay at home mom with two boys. Before she did that, she was a special ed teacher. I'm pretty sure she's a better mom to Ainsley than me. I showed up to pick her up, and it was nap time. Everyone was asleep. They had done tummy time, went outside and swung, and played with bubbles. I can't accomplish all that with one kid, much less three!<br />
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Wednesday was a funeral. Just generally crappy like all funerals are. Thursday was our shopping day and today was our first experience at post natal yoga. It was pretty fun. I don't know if I'd classify it as a good workout, but it was nice to be around other moms with Ainsley. The only thing I can't stomach (I'm ok with all the other hippy crap) is their pushing of baby sign language. I'm not going to do it. Kids fall behind verbally that start using sign language. And it has no relevance the rest of their lives. It's not like learning a second language they can use forever. Poopy in sign language is only going to be used for a couple of months. I think it's stupid. Anyways....<br />
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The big thing is, the spousal unit bought my Birthday present early. I got a new camera! Which is helpful, since I've taken ~350 pictures of Ainsley so far, so they might as well be really good ones. It's a canon. I like it thus far. Here is a picture of my Edel bug that I took messing around with it this evening<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BrHMvvKuANU/TqutPKOTMCI/AAAAAAAAAC4/LMWpExHUzco/s1600/IMG_0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BrHMvvKuANU/TqutPKOTMCI/AAAAAAAAAC4/LMWpExHUzco/s320/IMG_0015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I was looking at SLRs, and this is suppose to be as comparable as possible, minus all the bulk. Big plans for the rest of the weekend. You'll get tons of pics later of it all, I'm sure.Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-54275417402165524392011-10-24T23:53:00.000-07:002011-10-24T23:53:33.729-07:00A baby... in a bar...So the wedding shower we were helping to host was this weekend. The initial plan was to have the spousal unit's mom watch Ainsley. Unfortunately, she came down with the stomach flu and was unable to even hold her, so she had to hang out at the party all night. She was <strong><em>SO</em></strong> good. She got a little fussy at the end, but it was close to 11 pm...<br />
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We had a lot of fun. It was in a really small town in south Texas, in the town's beer joint. Who knew bars had toys for kids?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QoLA9XgNnio/TqZbNNeWWxI/AAAAAAAAACo/unxo0N5aPDk/s1600/bar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QoLA9XgNnio/TqZbNNeWWxI/AAAAAAAAACo/unxo0N5aPDk/s320/bar.JPG" width="241" /></a></div><br />
I stayed up til 4 am on Friday making cupcakes. I made 6 dozen. Yeah, you heard me right... <strong>SIX</strong> dozen. I should have taken pictures of them. Not that they turned out extremely pretty, but they were extremely delicious. The main "theme" of the cupcakes was booze, since the party was in a bar and all. I did make strawberry ones though, in case there were kids there, they could have one. And their weren't.... Here are the recipes I followed, besides the margarita ones I posted the other day.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Strawberry Cupcakes</span><br />
<div style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="color: purple;"><em>Yield: </em>34 cupcakes<br />
<em>Ingredients:</em><br />
For the cupcakes:<br />
2¼ cups all-purpose flour<br />
½ cup cake flour<br />
1 tbsp. baking powder<br />
1 tsp. salt<br />
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature<br />
2¼ cups sugar<br />
1½ tsp. vanilla extract<br />
3 large eggs plus 1 large egg white<br />
1 cup milk<br />
2½ cups finely chopped fresh strawberries*</span></div><div style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="color: purple;">For the frosting:<br />
1½ cups fresh strawberries (8 oz.), rinsed, hulled and coarsely chopped*<br />
4 large egg whites<br />
1¼ cups sugar<br />
3 sticks (1½ cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature</span></div><div style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="color: purple;"><em>Directions:</em><br />
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder and salt; whisk to blend.</span></div><div style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="color: purple;">In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and egg white one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in two additions alternating with the milk, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Gently fold in the chopped strawberries with a spatula.</span></div><div style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="color: purple;">Divide the batter between the paper liners, filling each about ¾-full. Bake until light golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-28 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Allow to cool in the pans a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.</span></div><div style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="color: purple;">To make the frosting, place the strawberries in a food processor or blender. Puree until completely smooth. Combine the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved.</span></div><div style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="color: purple;">Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer** fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes. (The bowl should be cool to the touch.)</span></div><div style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="color: purple;">Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (or longer – <em>don’t worry, it will come together!</em>) Blend in the strawberry puree until smooth and completely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.</span></div><div style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="color: purple;">Fill a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip with the frosting. <em>(I used a large, unlabeled star tip to frost these cupcakes.) </em>Frost cooled cupcakes as desired, and garnish with fresh berries or berry slices.</span></div><div style="padding-left: 30px;"><br />
</div><div style="padding-left: 30px; text-align: left;">The frosting on these cupcakes were really to die for. I think this is going to be my go to icing recipe from now on. It can handle a lot of liquid, while still holding it's stiffness. I think it'd be really good with Baileys that's in the next recipe....</div><div style="padding-left: 30px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="padding-left: 30px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: purple;">Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes</span></div><div style="padding-left: 30px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">For the Cupcakes</span>:<br />
1 cup Guinness stout<br />
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature<br />
¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder<br />
2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
2 cups granulated sugar<br />
1½ teaspoons baking soda<br />
¾ teaspoons salt<br />
2 eggs<br />
2/3 cup sour cream</span></div><span style="color: purple;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">For the Whiskey Ganache Filling</span>:<br />
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate<br />
2/3 cup heavy cream<br />
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature<br />
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">For the Baileys Frosting</span>:<br />
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature<br />
5 cups powdered sugar<br />
6 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">1. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">To Make the Cupcakes</span>: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">3. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">To Make the Whiskey Ganache Filling</span>: Finely chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, stir it from the center outward until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">4. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">To Fill the Cupcakes</span>: Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter (or the bottom of a large decorating tip), cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes, going about two-thirds of the way down. Transfer the ganache to a piping back with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">5. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">To Make the Baileys Frosting</span>: Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated. Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">6. Using your favorite decorating tip, or an offset spatula, frost the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">I was kinda surprised that these were the biggest hit out of the 3 different kind of cupcakes. They were a little rich for me, but then again... I'm not too crazy about chocolate.</span><br />
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Friday was the last time I cooked. We were down in south Texas til Sunday, and we didn't feel like cooking Sunday night, so we just leftovered it. I have a interview tomorrow (YAY!), so I didn't cook tonight. Instead I went and got my nails done and went to the gym. I should go to the gym more often, but hey... I'm consistent in being inconsistent. It works for me...<br />
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So I should probably get my rear to bed. Her is Miss Ainsley with her Popo on Saturday night. Gotta close with a pic of the sweetness!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AxrgDsbc2O4/TqZbjuDr-xI/AAAAAAAAACw/S-Awd14Rd-k/s1600/ainsley9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AxrgDsbc2O4/TqZbjuDr-xI/AAAAAAAAACw/S-Awd14Rd-k/s320/ainsley9.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-82835942199902419872011-10-20T21:43:00.000-07:002011-10-20T21:43:21.343-07:003 months today!There isn't much to write about today. We did some errands and I'm going to try to get up early in order to make 4 dozen cupcakes... or something like that. I did stay up late last night and re-did my resume. Hopefully that will illicit more interest than a career services company looking for money to find me a job. Whole Foods is closing it's posting I applied to on the 25th. The likely hood I'd get that position is slim, but it'd still be awesome...<br />
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The bit news of the day is that someone is 3 months old today! It's passed so quickly, and then again it hasn't. Being in the hospital seemed like ages ago (Thank God). But her weighing 8 lbs and me carrying her around like a football seemed like just yesterday. Here is the Birthday Girl today...<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7q8ufStl7pA/TqD11kdPXHI/AAAAAAAAACI/fsafH4Cjws8/s1600/ainsley5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" rda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7q8ufStl7pA/TqD11kdPXHI/AAAAAAAAACI/fsafH4Cjws8/s320/ainsley5.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Miss A sleeping in my arms tonight... <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MRnWTXRmEec/TqD2Gx6QQJI/AAAAAAAAACQ/UUjuor4JxR8/s1600/ainsley6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MRnWTXRmEec/TqD2Gx6QQJI/AAAAAAAAACQ/UUjuor4JxR8/s320/ainsley6.JPG" width="241" /></a></div>
Napping while we got the oil changed in the car today <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WMs-azx9wuA/TqD2WjZPwXI/AAAAAAAAACY/e_c-D-JURVY/s1600/ainsley7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WMs-azx9wuA/TqD2WjZPwXI/AAAAAAAAACY/e_c-D-JURVY/s320/ainsley7.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
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Almost 2 months old. I don't think she's grown that much until I start looking back at <em>ALL </em>the pictures I've taken of her</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lNwWNJsEDZw/TqD2xWrSRdI/AAAAAAAAACg/gROsHmFRke0/s1600/ainsley8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" rda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lNwWNJsEDZw/TqD2xWrSRdI/AAAAAAAAACg/gROsHmFRke0/s320/ainsley8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Here she is, 2 days old. This was our first night at home. And I'm pretty sure we were both SO ready to be out of the hospital. God knows I was!<br />
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She is my sweet cheeks, and I'm so lucky to have her!<br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-86974862201649416142011-10-19T20:49:00.000-07:002011-10-19T20:49:54.894-07:00cupcakesToday started off by going downtown. I received a call from a "headhunter" wanting to sit down and talk about jobs. I went to the meeting, figuring it would be bullshit, and it was. After listening to his spew about him empowering women, (blah, blah, blah... You'll empower my foot up your ass...) it turned to me paying them to find me a job. Yeah.... no thanks. So that's the only development on the career front so far.<br />
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So I went to the store today and got all my supplies for baking. We are helping host a wedding shower this weekend, and we are in charge of dessert. So I made margarita cupcakes today to test drive them. They were delicious. Ainsley baked with me for a while as she rode in her Bjorn carrier. Then she got fussy and laid in her bouncy chair for a few minutes while I finished up the frosting. <br />
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These aren't cupcakes for kiddos btw...<br />
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And remember, the booze you cook with should be good enough to drink. If anyone ever tells you to use cheap stuff to cook with, that don't know what they're talking about.<br />
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Margarita Cupcakes with Lime and Tequila Cream Cheese frosting<br />
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Adapted from <a href="http://homeiswheretheholmansare.blogspot.com/2010/03/margarita-cupcakes.html">Homemade by Holman</a></div>
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<em>Cupcakes:</em>1 box white cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)</div>
7 1/2 ounces margarita mix<br />
2 ounces tequila<br />
1/2 ounce orange juice<br />
3 large egg whites<br />
2 T vegetable oil<br />
Zest of 1 lime<br />
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 24 muffin tins with paper liners or spray with baking spray. Mix together margarita mix, tequila and orange juice in a large measuring cup. Add cake mix to mixing bowl and add egg whites, oil, lime zest and tequila mix. Beat on low speed for about 30 seconds until dry ingredients are incorporated and then beat on medium high speed for 2 minutes. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups, filling about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center cupcake comes out clean. Cool about 5 minutes in the pan and then cool completely on wire racks. Brush additional tequila over cupcakes while warm.<br />
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<em>Icing:</em>8 oz cream cheese, room temperature</div>
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature<br />
2 T lime juice<br />
4 cups powdered sugar<br />
2 tsp lime zest<br />
3-4 drops green food coloring<br />
Tequila<br />
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Beat cream cheese and butter on medium high speed until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add 2 T lime juice and lime zest and beat until combined. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating on low speed until incorporated. Add Tequila to taste. Add food coloring a couple drops at a time and beat on medium high speed until desired color is reached and icing is smooth. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes as desired. <br />
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I wish I got a picture of A cooking with me!</div>
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After I got the cupcake mess all cleaned up, I started dinner. I just used the rest of the chicken we had left over from the other night. It's a store bought rotersseri. Put a little olive oil and stirred in onion and green pepper with some salsa. Added drained can of black beans and the chicken with a little more salsa. It made the best tacos. I'll have to remember that one again...</div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-12852921245791012062011-10-18T01:11:00.000-07:002011-10-18T01:11:00.803-07:00Man vs BabyIt's going to take me forever to write this, so it's going to be short and sweet tonight, I think. Yup, it's 3 am. I was so tired from staying up super late last night looking up cupcake recipes, that I passed out while nursing her around 9:30 pm. The spousal unit woke me up about 10 and took her and I went to bed. Apparently I'm so use to only getting about 4 hours of sleep every night, that I was back up at 1:30 am. And that's about the time she woke up....<br />
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I nursed her, and now she won't completely go back to sleep. Luckily, I'm pretty awake too from my 4 hours of sleep earlier, so I decided to battle the sleeping position tonight. And oh.... it's been a battle so far. I pick her up, and she goes right to sleep. I put her on her back in the pack n' play, and she starts squirming and fighting her swaddle. This is actually the longest she's gone.. about 3 minutes. I really don't know what to do. Should I just let her squirm and possibly even cry herself to sleep? I know she's tired.... she sleeps when I pick her up. Ugh, It's going to be a long morning.<br />
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Yesterday was pretty uneventful. Just cleaned the house after this weekend's beer and cookies episode. I think today's plans are going to consist of Starbucks (of course) and finally getting A's birth certificate. We are going snowboarding this winter (well, not me now, since I lack the all important health insurance) and we have to have it in order for her to fly. So that should be entertaining. State agencies are usually just a load of fucking fun. I need to dig out the few Halloween decorations I have and put those up. I also need to get her costume lined up. I think she's going to be a lobster.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZqEMmYZy0E/Tp0zaXvYB-I/AAAAAAAAAB4/ayR2Y1Xld-o/s1600/baby_lobster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZqEMmYZy0E/Tp0zaXvYB-I/AAAAAAAAAB4/ayR2Y1Xld-o/s320/baby_lobster.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I mean, seriously... how cute is that. And this poor kids picture is ALL OVER the internet by the way. I can only hope I can embarrass my kid as well as these parents have.<br />
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Ugh... she's up again... wait... she put herself back to sleep I think. Oh thank goodness. Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1652535235296353315.post-48121438243821001412011-10-16T22:48:00.000-07:002011-10-16T22:48:08.772-07:00Beer and CookiesWe had a really good weekend. Not really productive, but none the less...<br />
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We pulled the tv out onto the back porch and watched Texas get beat by OSU (Go Pokes!) It was a little white trash, but it was fun. The afternoon got a little warm, so I pulled Ainsley's onesie off and she pimped her OSU diaper.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V5uGduPes98/Tpu1zYqrohI/AAAAAAAAABg/MG_BGKlwMDA/s1600/ainsley2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V5uGduPes98/Tpu1zYqrohI/AAAAAAAAABg/MG_BGKlwMDA/s320/ainsley2.JPG" width="239" /></a></div> Miss A does like watching her football (that's roadcone orange btw, no burnt orange bulshit....)<br />
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Luckily I had pumped enough on friday and the previous week, because she had to get a couple of bottles Saturday. Mommy got Samuel Adam's Cream Stout.... it was delicous! <br />
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I'm really lucky in the fact that my spousal unit is super support of all my parenting choices, even when I can tell he's not too thrilled. I would have breastfeed no matter what, but it does help that he helps me out whenever he can. Holds her while I get situated, never suggested formula when I was first beginning and getting frustrated... it was great. He even tolerates my cloth diapering habit I've acquired. He doesn't know that I ordered a couple more last week though.... ssshhhhh. And I haven't exactly got her sleeping in her crib yet. She's basically permanently sleeping in her bouncy chair. I put her flat in her pack n play in our room, and she only sleeps an hour, and is up again. Even tonight, she's been a little fidgetty even in her bouncy chair. That's partly my fault. I think I let her sleep too long for her afternoon nap. I really need to work on her sleeping in her pack n play. I'm not ready for her to be in a separate room though....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AfOrYuHx7TM/Tpu6xSsFp1I/AAAAAAAAABo/tR0cK3EXI3k/s1600/ainsley4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AfOrYuHx7TM/Tpu6xSsFp1I/AAAAAAAAABo/tR0cK3EXI3k/s320/ainsley4.jpg" width="244" /></a></div> Ainsley sleeping while I write this on the couch.... <br />
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One thing I didn't get accomplished this weekend is saving all my pictures on my phone of Ainsley. I seriously have like 250. That's what I do all day.... no working and lurking for me! Just funning and sunning with her.... and taking a lot of pictures while doing it. If anyone knows how to load my pictures from my iphone 4 to my computer I'd really appreciate it, because at this point, I'm just going to start emailing them to myself.<br />
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Along with all the beer this weekend, I may have decided that cookies were an excellent idea. I made a recipe I'd been meaning to try. I don't know if it was the beer I had, or if the recipe wasn't that great. But the cookies only came out mediocre. I won't even bother posting the recipe<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E4D5kcycpvA/Tpu9p6BfmiI/AAAAAAAAABw/QvNEpySuMQ4/s1600/cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" oda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E4D5kcycpvA/Tpu9p6BfmiI/AAAAAAAAABw/QvNEpySuMQ4/s320/cookies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Just flat a chewy. ehhhhhh <br />
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Now my plans for the week include finding a recipe for cupcakes. We are hosting a shower with a group of people and our job is to bring the dessert. I was going to buy a couple dozen of Hey Cupcake (Hey strawberry nom nom nom), but at $33 a dozen, and I ain't got no job.... We are going to make our own. Hopefully I can find some bootleg recipes or something off the net tomorrow. <br />
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Speaking of jobs... I still haven't gotten a nibble. It's really frustrating. I had a job and a job offer this time last year. Now I don't have shit. I keep telling myself that I'm okay with being laid off, but I keep having dreams of punching my former bosses in the face. At least I wake up with a smile now... So if I can't get another job here in a few months, I'm going to need to figure out how to bring in ~$2000. I like being creative, and I can produce some pretty decent art. I'm thinking of maybe trying to sell some of it on etsy. I wish my sewing skills were better, because I could think of several things to sew and sell on etsy. Hopefully it won't have to come to that....Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05489199778609155168noreply@blogger.com0